It Took a lot of People to Get Here

Yesterday was our Senior Banquet, our way of celebrating the fact that (pending the fulfillment of all academic requirements) we really are going to graduate, but more importantly, saying thanks to all of the faculty, administration and staff who got us to this point. No matter how old we are we have all needed a few "mothering" moments along the way.

When I speak of "us" I think about how many children have come into the picture, babies born, little ones growing up. I think of my classmates who are exploring adoption and foster parenting and am amazed. I think of classmates who could not be at our meal because they needed to be with their family. I look around and see how many people have gotten engaged or married since they began seminary. And I think about how over four years we have grown more fully into our callings. And to get to that point it has taken a lot of parenting figures.

I give thanks for each person who in the name of Christ has at some time has been there- in the face of friends and in the face of everyone from the person who fixed a problem in the dorm, a billing or finanical aid snafu, server connection issues, course registration conundrums and a myriad of other things. They in addition to our professors have tolerated our confusion, affirmed our discoveries and occasionally dished out a little reality check. Through all of the things that have stretched and shaped us, there is a giant network of people, some very visible and some behind the scenes who have helped to make our "growing years" bear fruit.

Thanks be to God for you.